Breaking News & Timeline for Florida Teens Missing at Sea

Sunday August 9th: The families of Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen have announced their decision to end their privately-led search for the missing boys.

The families said in a press release that they ended their search at sunset on Saturday, August 8.

A spokesperson for the family said the search has run its course. “Absent new information, continuing the search is not practical,” said the family spokesperson.

“We love our boys and want them home. Today, our hope becomes our prayer— that one day Perry and Austin will be returned to us. We thank everyone for their dedicated efforts and support,” said the families in a joint statement.

The joint statement continued, “We will never stop looking for our boys, Austin and Perry. We want to thank the US Coast Guard and the many volunteers from Florida to Maine whose contributions were nothing short of extraordinary. We express a special debt of gratitude to the Palm Beach community for its generosity and outpouring of love and support. We ask that you join us in our prayer that one day Perry and Austin will be reunited with their families.” (Full Story)

Tuesday, August 4th: The boys have been missing over two weeks. There are some life vests on the coast near Savannah, GA that are being checked with dogs to confirm if they belonged to the boys. The boat the boys were in has also gone missing. It was marked with a beacon at the time it was discovered, but it was not recovered as the priority was the boys. A search-and-rescue organization is utilizing high-resolution satellite images and uploading them for others to help search.

Friday, July 31st: The Coast Guard has announced the official search and rescue will be called off at sunset tonight. At this point more than 50,000 sq nautical miles have been searched to no avail. Pray these boys are found TODAY.

Friday, July 31st: Austin’s mom is making these handmade lighthouse bracelets to support the cause (she has a jewelry business). 100% of proceeds benefit the search efforts : sea la vie accessories

Thursday, July 30th | 10 PM: The Coast Guard was unable to connect anything with the pictures below 🙁 So far, the search will still continue.

Thursday, July 30th | 5 PM : *unconfirmed* There is a report in of a potential spotting by an automatic buoy camera! Looks like it’s off the coast of North Carolina

Thursday, July 30th AM: Day 6. Without knowing the boys’ access to water and life jackets, there is still some hope for the boys. They are reaching the limits of human survival on the ocean. The Coast Guard is still considering this a rescue mission.

Wednesday **Unconfirmed Update** Coast guard radios may have spotted two people off the coast of Georgia.

Wednesday, July 29th AM| Day 5: Coast Guard reassures that search is still on. The search now extends to the South Carolina coast along the gulf stream (nearly 40,000 sq. nautical miles). Search includes 4 Coast Guard planes and a Navy plane. Nothing is found near Tybee, GA.